


ChRIsM

by RyuichiroSakuraba



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood, Boy Love, Demons, Exorcisms, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Gore, Light Novel, M/M, Manga, Shounen-ai, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-13
Updated: 2012-11-13
Packaged: 2017-11-18 14:18:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/561973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyuichiroSakuraba/pseuds/RyuichiroSakuraba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dive into the world inside one's mind. In the midst of the modern-day society, another existence lurks, waiting to be acknowledged. Civilization is at risk. Whoever thought that the occult is just another nonsense is wrong. Regrettably wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	ChRIsM

**Author's Note:**

> “Salvation is not governed by faith; at the end of the day, the one that can rescue you isn’t your prayer, your belief or your pillar of religion. Only you can save yourself. Come to think of it, the thought of Eden and Nirvana sounds quite overrated that I want to grab a smoke and a chai latte.” – Nathaniel Arthelinnus

**Act 1: overtime work, double pay**

* * *

_**Saturday, 23 December 2045. 8:47 pm. Sato Avenue, Kageyama. Caledonia Mall.** _

The holiday spirit seems to infect everyone pacing around the countless stores, talking to their loved ones on their mobiles about what should they buy or what-not, chattering with friends about cakes and the usual stuff that people bring during their party come Sunday night, not caring about their jobs or chores. Like hell, it IS a weekend. Even the traffic lights have their off-days. That is definitely tonight; the road is closed for pedestrians to take on a leisurely stride. Wave upon wave of shoppers and onlookers come and go on this busy place. At the very least, one may be careless enough to walk outside the safety line painted on the sidewalk without having the fear to be hit by some random car – bipedal locomotion at its finest.

The air is nippy; you could get a mild frostbite if you're not really into mufflers and gloves. However, poinsettias and holly berries do not look too holiday-ish without those white flakes. Artificial snow coming from those aerosol cans is definitely hot this time of the year, but nothing beats the real thing.

 _"Good thing though that it did not snow since the season changed,"_  a slightly unkempt man thought as he adjusted his navy blue scarf and straightened his pea coat. He then slid his hands inside his coat pockets and sighed, looking somewhat tired.

A sudden, familiar vibration accompanied by some orchestrated RPG battle music chased the man away from his thoughts. A teen notices the ringtone despite the noise, started smiling at his friends and said "Hey, that's Eien no Nemuri! Maybe I should check out their main site and get that MP3 clip later," in all glee that he can muster. Unfazed by such attention, the man took out his mobile and checked the sub-display, only to raise an eyebrow at the caller ID.

Unknown number.

 _"At this hour? I hope it isn't Okaa-san_   _on a payphone requesting for some odd grub…"_  The man grimaced at the idea but answered the call anyway.

Ambient sounds came out of the earpiece. The caller is in a house, maybe?

"Ah. Nathan here," the male said casually, plugging his index finger in his left ear in order to hear the response clearly.

A distressed woman's voice stuttered on the other end. "C-could you b-be Neisanieru Aruzerinusu?" The caller is somewhat scared or maybe just shy. It does not bother him though.

"The one and only," Nathan said, releasing the breath he was holding earlier. It sure isn't his mom, and his fears of raiding some convenience store in the middle of his night walk are now out of the window.

" _Whew. That was a relief. I mean, who would want nabe when it's definitely next to impossible to get fresh leeks at a midnight store?"_

He cleared his throat and continued, "And please, it's Nathan since I'm off-duty tonight." He is now checking the glass display of the boutique where he bought his coat a year ago and saw a black trench that he will be definitely save up for Spring. "I do believe that I had the business hours stated in the white pages."

"Y-yes. I-i know that, Neisan-san. But we really do need the services of  **Velvet Noir** ," she stammered in urgency. "We can even pay you double!"

The raven-haired man started to mull over the lady's words. "Your offer sounds tempting, but hey, I'm also human and I've got my human needs like window shopping or chilling out."

"But! My daughter is really acting strange!" the caller exclaimed. Harsh breaths followed in exasperation. "Chigusa isn't what she is now! She does things that are definitely not possible for her to do!"

Nathan sighed again.

"Look madam, if she's like that, it would probably be best to call a doctor." His fingers are now itching to grab a cigarette. He tried to address the lady politely before she manages to tickle his bad side. "Most cases that the office had are just whims and mood swings of people. I would be more than glad to offer you a number of the clinic we refer the clients that really doesn't have anything we can provide services to." Seeing the hefty price tag of the said trench coat, he starts going to the nearest coffee joint near the south promenade of Caledonia.

The caller now starts to sob and muffled voices of a male saying reassuring words floated through the speakers.

" _Oh. Her husband perhaps."_

"Please… My sister's a psychiatrist and she can't find anything wrong with Chigusa. I thought it was a possession so we tried asking for help from a parish here in the district," the lady explained, sobs lacing her now parched voice. "But two priests, and even the head of the parish, said that they could not do something about it!"

Interest piqued, Nathan straightened a bit. "Did you say even the parochial head?" A few yards more and the nice smell of coffee grounds and cream assaults his senses. Cookie n' Coffee isn't the biggest coffee franchise of the nation, but their chai latte is definitely one he would die for.

"Yes. They contacted the diocese and said help would come by Monday." The lady sniffed and revealed information that struck the man.

"She's… having self-destructive tendencies. Extreme I may say. And," she then broke down and screamed her heart out. "Hell, who could even change eye color in a moment's notice?! Something's wrong here! Can you realize how serious our situation is?"

Nathan squints at the statement the lady hung before him and a loud bang then pierces his eardrums.

"Tch."

…seems like the phone handset met the floor.

Soon, a worried voice of a man came out of the speaker.

"I am sorry about that, Aruzerinusu-san… My wife was making such a weird request…"

Customers flood Cookie n' Coffee tonight. Girls laughing at their new Print Club stickers, middle-age professionals sipping tea and reading some magazines, high school lovebirds blushing and asking what concoction to order… People here, people there. Nothing but people crowd every available table and chair, save a few locations apparently made for ones who wanted to be alone. Not that he needed to squeeze himself inside the shop.

"Not really. It's been a while since the office had received trivial cases," Nathan said solemnly. He manages to head to the counter and shows his usual stoic, slightly grumpy self. A delinquent-looking male with bleached hair wearing the store's deep brown barista uniform approaches him with a lopsided grin.

"The usual, I presume?"

The barista wearing his silver nameplate engraved with 'Nagase' canted his head cockily before leaning on the counter near the cash register. He notices Nathan speaking over his phone and starts to pry a bit.

"Oooh. On-call shit, huh?" Condescending glances hit the young man, but the hell does he care anyway.

The raven covered the mouthpiece of his mobile and replied. "Most likely. And yup. The usual."

Not getting the answer that he wanted, he then shrugs while punching the order at the register. "Maxi Chai Latte - Overdose. That's ¥680 inclusive of tax."

He has a wad of a thousand yen ready and he gave the bill to Nagase with a silent chuckle while mouthing 'keep the change'.

"I appreciate the tip," the barista responded, laughing a bit as he opened the register with a rather old-fashioned 'ka-ching'. "You just wait for your order, na?"

"Ah."

The silence has been too long on the other end and for a while, Nathan thought that the line was cut. Too bad it wasn't, or so he thought.

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry," the man apologized profusely. Taking a deep breath after a long contemplation, he said pleaded, "This is an emergency. Who knows what might happen if we waited further? Will you accept the job... Or rather… will you save my daughter?"

It sure struck a chord in the raven's being. That sure does promise to be a nice piece of work, not to mention he wants to have that coat upon the arrival of spring.

"I understand."

Nagase expertly brews his order and Nathan takes a glance at the interior of the shop as he paces towards the waiting area. The bleached-blond barista then measures the half-and-half and assembles the drink.

"The Velvet Noir accepts your case. Send me an e-mail with your address and I'll inform you around what time I'll be able to get there."

"You'll never realize how hopeful you had made me. Thank you very much!"

Nathan took a deep breath. "Don't thank me. I haven't done anything yet."

"You still have my gratitude. Please take care on your way here."

The call ended with the soft beeping of the busy tone. The black-haired man hastily closes his phone as the barista moved towards the serving corner.

"So, how did it go?" He set the large paper cup on the cherry wood counter, seemingly curious.

"Tch. I'm on my rest day overtime work."

Nagase chuckled at the man's rather sour reply. "Sucks to be you. Well anyway," he said, fishing his pocket for a pack of filter cigarettes, "you got a light? I'm off work now. Unlike you, I RARELY go on OTs."

Dark clouds graced the other man's features. "More like you DITCH them when you don't feel like it."

"Haha. Right, right. As you said, 'I'm human and I've got my human needs like yadda, yadda…', na?"

Mild annoyance makes its way on the raven's expression, his hand harshly reaching for the hot drink. "Shut the fuck up."

A quick hand suddenly grabs the paper cup away, leaving a startled, slightly smaller raven.

"One Maxi Chai Latte – Overdose for Nei-chan!" the barista screamed while handing the said drink to the stupefied male. It's not an everyday thing to hear such a ridiculously, abhorrently, exorbitantly cute nickname that certainly does not fit your qualities in any way.

"The hell – "

"Sorry man, it's S-O-P. And besides, you appear constipated. Ahahaha! That surely wraps my hectic workweek."

He loosens the knots of his apron, gets a stick of tobacco from his pack and inserts it to the fuming raven's left breast pocket.

"Are preparations required? I think I want to join ya tonight."

A wrinkle etches Nathan's forehead. "You sure? I don't see any problem with that. Touma's ready for emergency calls. Always." He bit on his cancer stick, scoring a few glares from the shop staff.

"Yosh! Let's chill for a bit at the back, na? I'll just change. Gotta bounce!" He pats the shorter male's shoulder and saunters to the pantry area, receiving 'Good job today!' praises as he opens the door toward the pantry area.

Chilly air embraces the raven again as he passed by the glass doors of Cookie n' Coffee. The jolly atmosphere rises in magnitude as he goes toward the delivery area at the back of the coffee shop. He cannot help but feel a little anxious at the case he is going to delve into. The faint scent of pine from various trees set up in the promenade does not calm Nathan's mind. For sure, things might go out of hand later, but he does not have any choice.

His back met the cold concrete walls near the sliding door of the back area. With a lighter in hand, he lit his cigarette and took a long drag.

 _"What the fuck is taking him so long?"_  he mentally screamed, shoving his lighter inside his breast pocket.

"Yo. You already here, man? Shit, that was fast," Nagase remarked, popping a few cracks in his neck.

A sip from his warm cup can offer relief, but the pressure due to the upcoming work seems to be unnerving him. It's been quite a while since he had severe cases like these.

_"I hope I'm not too rusty…"_

"Oi. Why wear a long face? Don't think too much. Overworking rots the brain, or so you said," Nagase chuckled and ruffled the shorter one's hair. "Besides, they probably will explain everything to you once we get there."

A sigh of relief escaped Nathan's lungs, clouding the air with fog and cigarette smoke.

"I know. And how many times do I need to tell you stop patronizing your elders?"

* * *

_**Saturday, 23 December 2045. 9:16 pm. Shimabura Pass, Murakami.** _

Darkness permeates the atmosphere as a deep plum sports car speeds on a highway overlooking the sea. Streetlamps give slightly improved visibility but the wisps of fog don't really bother the driver too much. The sound system plays some tooth-rotting pop song that the two don't know who the hell the singer is, but left the station where it's at anyway. Chilly winds pester the duo's hair; it is probably a good thing that it didn't snow that day or they would skid and slide if the road wasn't salted properly.

The song hit its coda and a male announcer started to report some late news of the hour.

"It's nine-sixteen in the evening and we now bring you the highlights of today's news." The station ID played in the background as the male continues to blabber.

"Prime Minister Sakeuchi Takeda arrived this morning in Seoul, South Korea for the Asian Congregation held at the Global Union Tower to tackle the economic developments that the nations involved in the Alliance have to offer. Despite the fact that there are issues regarding the decline of Japan's export of electronic products due to the recent price hike on oil and raw materials, the country will be able to provide sufficient supply by January with the development of circuit boards by polymerization of oil from renewable sources.

"Prime Minister Spokesperson Hinamori Asaka confirmed that the government is planning on having programs to boost the economy, especially on the agricultural sector to provide enough materials to sustain the production in the electronics industry."

Nagase raised an eyebrow. "Pfft. As if that would help. I mean, seriously, a lot of competition is present nowadays, so why not make something new? Like phones with holograms instead of LED displays or something, instead of exporting just plain, good ol' semiconductor parts?"

The announcer then reported the local news which was really not the duo's cup of tea.

Nathan remains silent. Not a fan of economics or geeky stuff, maybe?

"On the other hand, pop icon Uematsu Megumi will be holding a free concert on the 31st in Kageyama, her manager Daisuke Naoki announced." A cut from her latest album, "REM/prelude to a dream", started to play in the background.

"The venue will be at the concert grounds of the Sunrise Promenade, Caledonia Mall, at 10 pm. This is to show Megumi-chan's thanks to her fans and to welcome the coming year. And, as a special treat, everyone who will be bringing a cover of the game Senba: Eien no Nemuri will be given a free demo disk of its to-be released expansions Shinsou no Sakuran and Kyousei Kakusei."

Hacking sounds of an abused throat fills the open-air car. For quite a big man, transforming into a fangirl doesn't seem to be, well, manly.

"FOR REAL? Megumi-chan's stepping on Caledonia?! Man! Let's go see!"

He IS one, for sure.

Weather report finally came, stating that snow might fall tonight and advised the people in the nearby prefectures to do their necessary preparations in case the temperature drops below zero. Soon, it ends and the radio station resumed playing sugary songs enough to keep a sleepy driver awake – in appreciation or in disgust, no one knew.

"Tch. Why not nab some girl for a date and bring her instead of a busy man like me?" Nathan deadpanned, eyes stuck on the road, missing a scooter by an inch and yelling a string of obscenities at the window, irately shoving a dirty finger at his rear-view mirror.

"And why not lift your ass off that velvet couch of yours and enjoy the festivities? Girls seem to flock by your side. Well, most of the time."

The raven growled, his concentration breaking further. "Are you trying to insinuate something, Kagura?"

"Nope. I'm just a little curious," the other male said simply. "I'm really wondering why you named your car Touma," the blonde snickered, his short spikes getting whipped by the breeze. He took a drag of smoke and blew the white stream out into the window. "You like feisty girls?"

"Fucktard. Touma's a guy, plus he's my best bud," the raven scoffed, his jet-black locks slapping his face a little. He too, smokes and has one hand on the steering wheel.

Nathaniel Arthelinnus can drive. And he drives  _fast_. Once the pedometer hits 90 kph, there's no stopping him. Stepping further on the gas pedal, he let adrenaline rush through him like a madman.

"Plus, knowing that you're RIDING Touma? I'm having weird flashes in my brain. Tch. Last thing I wanted was to have a seizure in the middle of the fucking road."

Pedometer reading: 120 kph.

"Oi, you wound me! And now you're giving me creepy thoughts that I think I won't be able to sleep properly tonight. You know damn well that I loooove them boobies," Nagase shuddered, and then laughed a little. "Maa, are we there yet? Where's the job site anyway? We've been driving like hell's comin' at us for an hour."

In three seconds, pedometer reading: 140 kph.

_"FYI, I'm the one driving."_

"Voi! What the fuck – You trying to break Mach 1?!"

The blonde somehow looks scared shitless, but taking a gaze at the driver made him shut up.

The tension and sheer anxiousness that shows on Nathan's features, the death grip that he has on the steering wheel, the fingers that almost crush the cigarette to oblivion, the tightly-clenched jaw: Kagura Nagase now understands the gravity of the situation. He seldom sees his half-Japanese friend – best bud even – as taut as a piano string. And when he does…

"Alright. Just steer clear from those highway patrol guys. And please, man. Your seatbelt."

"Tch." Nathan handed his phone sitting really pretty on the car's dashboard to the blonde, then getting the end of his seatbelt and fastened it with a click. "Check the fucking email."

_"This is totally out of place. What – or who the fuck am I dealing with?"_

Nagase scrolled through the message inbox and found the latest one from an unknown address.

"Etou… 45 Sakakibara Street, Fuumi-chou, Murakami. Take Shimabura, head past the Municipal Hospital. Third intersection, then turn left left," he read aloud. "Whoa, sounds real easy, huh? Le'ssee…"

A few clicks more and the blond's complexion turns pale.

"What the… Chigusa-chan just plays that stupid spirit-of-the-coin thing and she now changes her eye color from black to… Gray? And every-random-fucking-time?" Nagase begins to sound skeptical.

"She's wearing contacts, isn't she?"

"Never. Girl didn't even know how to use them. Perfect vision."

A honk affected by the famous Doppler effect whizzed through them as one unlucky light truck blew its horn due to an accident evaded just by a hair strand's breadth. The two are engrossed with the matter in hand that they do not give a damn at their almost lethal situation.

"Weird bruises, then, what the – distorted voice?" He noticed the media attachments the email had. "You seen them?"

Looking straight ahead, the raven replied. "Wanna take a peek? Go ahead. After all, they're my – oh, our clients now. Just shut you trap and I'll make sure you'll live in peace."

"Yessir… Oh, and let's talk about girls some other time… with some sake and yakitori, hmm? You know, the one just five minutes away from your office?" the blonde steered away from the subject and started to browse the attachments in the message. Awful screams and gurgling voices decorated the car's rather peaceful atmosphere, akin to a room where some mid-budget horror movie plays during a high school students' sleepover session.

"Sure."

Nathan steps at the gas pedal a little harsher than usual, speeding on the almost-freezing highway. Nagase's sounds of awe and shock somehow relieved the agitated mindscape of his.

"… _if somehow I survive this."_

* * *

_**Saturday, 23 December 2045. 9:37 pm. 45 Sakakibara Street, Fuumi-chou, Murakami.** _

A typical home looms at their sight; not too large, just enough for a family of three. A few laundry articles hang on the lines, obviously forgotten to be taken inside despite the fact that it will soon be snowing tonight. Burnable trash sits by the blue metal gate as if hoping some kind-hearted city waste collector would pick him up. Alas, he is inside the said gate and there is no way to eliminate him but to wait until Monday when the garbage truck will arrive and save the household.

"They left it there for…. What, compost?" Nagase said disapprovingly, clicking his tongue while he opened the trunk. So much for being a neat freak –

Nathan shrugs. "Everything else looks clean though, well-maintained even. More signs that it's an emergency," he speculated, inhaling smoke as he rests his back at the side of Touma.

Awkward groans pervade the air when the blonde took out a suitcase and a set of clothes. "Why would you even wear THESE?" Nagase scrunched his nose at the noticeably formal coat and matching dress pants. "These are, well, uber-classic that I'm having the idea that these are dust bunnies from Stone Age or something…"

"I just had them dry cleaned and it's SOP. Got a problem with that?"

Light footfalls crunch the tiny bits of gravel beneath the blonde's sneakers when he approached the rather stoic raven. "Alright, alright. I dig." He handed the suitcase to Nathan and crossed his hands behind his head.

A lone moth suddenly catches the taller one's attention. It flutters tirelessly, trying to reach the warm sodium light inside the half-frosted globe of the streetlamp near the perimeter of the house. A mild gust of freezing wind blows, and it encumbers the poor critter in attaining its futile goal.

The elder glances at the same sight, taking the cigarette between his lips and leaving it there.

"The never-ending quest for survival… Is it dictated by instinct or is it learned through experience? Will he be saved and given another lease of life or be trapped in the spiral of death, only to freeze then rot?" he mumbled in a whisper, syllables warped by the filter of his slowly burning cancer stick.

Such unsettling words rouses Nagase's blanking out phase. "W-what was that?" His gaze stays at the poor insect; still trying to bang its way into the clear, warm glass.

"Oh. Nothing," Nathan said, tone devoid of emotion. "Might as well get this done and over with." Popping a few neck joints, he paces to the doorbell under the pewter plate bearing "Nikaido" and presses the switch once.

"O-ok," the other said hesitantly, almost running towards the raven and scratched his head sheepishly. "Man, you're scary."

"…tch. I never should've brought you here. Not in a dangerous job like this," Nathan uttered under his breath.

Nagase shot up, incredulous, but his reply was soon disrupted by the man in his mid-thirties opening the door.

" _The hell does that mean?"_  the blonde thought, biting his lip to prevent a plethora of expletives from coming out.

* * *

_**Saturday, 23 December 2045. 9:45 pm. Nikaido Residence, Fuumi-chou, Murakami.** _

"We're sorry for requesting your presence at an inconvenient time." Nikaido Heji muttered, hands grasping at an old mug filled with tea.

The mug, Nathan notices, is the write-your-name ones. He even had those, when he was a about four. All in the family had one, and he smiled mentally at the thought of the past.

" _They are pretty close, huh? Or seems to be."_

"And for breaking down earlier. I did things that are quite rude," Mai expressed her apologies as well, looking calm though her vocal cords appear to be stressed from crying a lot. "I wish you didn't hear me banging the phone…"

"It's not an issue, Heji-san, Mai-san," the raven assures, lighting another cigarette. "The Velvet Noir is willing to provide its services." A trail of white smoke emanated from the burning tip. "Together with my colleague, Kagura Nagase, we'll see to it that your request shall be fulfilled."

The Nikaido seemed dubious upon seeing the blonde, but decided not to talk about it. Nathan got the message.

" _Okay. Say one more word and…"_

The blonde peruses the interior of the house, his eyes currently scanning the old mahogany table teeming with porcelain figurines, picture frames, and another mug; a little dusty, and has the name Chiaki. One of the frames on the counter has four people smiling at the camera. One was evidently Mai-san, Heji-san slinging his left arm to a young male in a baseball uniform, and Chigusa-chan holding a baseball bat and wearing an umpire's helmet that was way too big for her.

"Etou… Heji-san," Nagase said cautiously, "where's Chiaki-kun?"

Mai stared at her mug on the coffee table and sighed. "He passed away four years ago. Their bus crashed as they headed for Koshien," she mumbled sadly. "He should be playing professional baseball now."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Nathan sounded concerned, not trying to delve more into the subject.

"It's fine. I pray he's well wherever he is," Heji reassured. "There should be a baseball diamond out there or he'll be bored." The man laughed a little, diffusing the sad aura that harbored inside the living room.

Nagase's neck hair begins to rise for no apparent reason. He felt someone else staring at him from the corner of the living room near some glazed pottery but dismissed it anyway.

"Now, about Chigusa-chan," Nathan goes back to business. "You said that she started acting 'different' when she played that 'soul summoning' ritual at school?"

"That is right," Mai recalled. "I used to play that in school as well, since it was part of those tests of courage before summer breaks." Her expression now dims as she continued to reiterate the moments prior to the status quo.

"One of her classmates told us that they apparently came in touch with 'someone' and it said 'Chiaki' when they asked who it was."

Heji took a sip of his tea and recollected his thoughts before speaking. "I can't forget how happy she was when she took a hold of her brother, but I really can't say if it truly was Chiaki." He then stood and got a large roll of paper and set it on the table.

"This is the one that they've used. Her classmate Sakura-chan brought it here this morning." He then picked up the coasters and set it on the side table and he unrolled the paper a span long and half an arm wide. It then reveals a katakana syllabary, "hai" and "iie", kanji of numbers from "maru" to "nana", crude cross pointing the four main directions, a triangle in the background and an inverted pentagram inside it with rather weird squiggles circumscribing it.

Flicking the ash at an cigarette tray near the phone, Nathan then takes a long hit and leans forward before exhaling the nicotine-rich smoke.

"As far as other cases are concerned, the results are cheated most of the time, but that does not mean that it has zero possibility to work," he explains, looking rather pensive.

"However, with the email attachment that you sent me, what they are really doing is demon summoning.

"Ouija boards from the West, the Spirit of the Coin and the like that are popular here works the same way; they are ways to call on spirits that are lurking around. But… there are quite a few peculiarities with the board that they are using.

"First," he points at the triangle, "this is a universal symbol of power; if one would summon an abomination, it is crucial to maintain control, or else everything will be out of hand.

"Next, this cross," Nathan then traces the figure, showing three hollow prongs, and the one pointing left fully filled. "It marks 'West', at which the sun sets. It is said that at the west, the gates of Hell rest."

The blonde peeks at the three who are discussing things, and decides to observe. Though not really a fan of the occult, but he thinks it's better to be there rather than to encounter weird things alone.

"Then, this inverted pentagram. It's a widely-known symbol, I presume?"

Heji abruptly responded. "Of course, that's the symbol of the devil. The Scriptures also say that. If I had only seen it before…"

Mai gasped, agitated at the discovery. She made a sign of the cross and started to mumble a prayer.

"It's no use now," the raven mumbled. "What's done is done. I'll see what we can do." He then eyes Nagase who was squinting at the summoning paper, curious expression plastered on his face. "Nagase, you can read this?"

The blond chuckled nervously. "I never thought it can be used this way. It's Ancient Zephyrian, which evolved to Wind Script, formerly a way of writing before becoming the basis of spell incantations used in the video game I've been playing for quite some time now."

"What does it say?" Nathan calmly asks.

"Mama, Papa, who are they?" a girl's voice resounded, earning simultaneous gazes from the people in discussion. The girl came into view, her hair tied into pigtails, wearing a set of pink pajamas, sleep gracing her features.

Mai recovers quickly. "Oh, Chigusa-chan, they're, uh, Papa's friends from work!" she immediately makes up. She sent a knowing gaze at the two visitors and the duo decided to go with the flow.

"Right, Chigusa-chan! I'm Kagura Nagase," said jovially, though his brash exterior doesn't really fit. "And that one's Nei-chan!"

"Eh? Why do you call him 'Nei-chan'?" Chigusa wondered aloud while making a cute pose. "Well, maybe you would like some tea?" The girl offered and ran towards the kitchen.

Silence drifts in the air save for a few clangs of silverware. The four waited for a while, the raven thinking of the next move.

"She's your usual high school girl," Nagase remarks, regaining his initial composure.

"Why did you remove Nii-chan's mug here?!"

Again, silence.

Soon, Chigusa came with a pot of tea, a smaller cream pot, a sugar jar, and two cups on a tray. "Hope you don't mind Earl Grey."

"No, not really," Nathan responded curtly. He is carefully observing the girl, hoping that he won't be noticed doing so.

"That's great!" she exclaimed after placing the tray on a side table near her parents.

"Oh, and Kin'iro-san?"

A little scowl made its way on the blonde's face. "You mean me." The couple was stupefied at their daughter's behaviour, seeing her bright and sunny at such an ungodly hour.

"Yes! Let's play a game!" Chigusa squealed excitedly, snatching the paper on the center table and rolling it in haste. She then ran towards Nagase and caught his right hand. "C'mon! It'll be fun!"

Nathan turned and peered at the blonde and nodded. In his peripheral vision, something unsettled him. The feeling was the same, almost similar to the ones he had in his past cases: something strumming through the strings inside you that you cannot place a finger on what the hell is it.

Chigusa is staring at his suitcase and his clothes at the other side of the room.

"Nee, Kin'iro-san, let's go!" she giggled, tugging at the poor man's arm. "It'll be nice upstairs, by the veranda!"

Out of being cornered, Nagase yielded to the girl's request. "Alright then."

She jumped in glee. "Yay!"

A happy family. Family friends visiting the house. The daughter asking one of the newcomers to play with her. This scenario is supposed to be normal. The only thing that certainly states it isn't are the dazed looks of Chigusa's parents, the disturbing grin of the said girl – and the sight of her eyes as she whispered four words –

"I don't like you."

* * *

_**Saturday, 23 December 2045. 10:07 pm. Upstairs Veranda, Nikaido Residence.** _

_"Now, will somebody explain to me how the fuck did I get in this sticky situation?"_  Nagase cursed mentally as he sat cross-legged at the wood parquet with the allegedly possessed Chigusa-chan and her accursed 'Hell Portal', or so he named.

"Nee, place your fingers above the coin like this, Kin'iro-san!" Chigusa explained with a pout, seeing that the blonde is not as cooperative as she is expecting.

"Okay, okay. Like this?" he said with a scowl as he mimicked the girl's hand.

"Hai!"

"…what now?" the annoyed blonde whispered mostly to himself. As he tried to close his eyes for a bit, he is quite sure that he saw a young male behind the cute girl. The face isn't clear but he's sure he heard a faint sigh.

_"Must be tired from the shift earlier. Damn."_

The young girl closed her eyes and started to chant unintelligible phrases that the male recognized right away.

 _"The fuck? Ancient Zephyrian, eh?"_  Nagase thought.  _"If I just knew how to understand the spoken thing, I would've…"_

Realization hit him and he quickly tries to read the script written around the inverse pentagram:

_"O hear my voice that calls thy name, hotter than the dragon's breath, sharper than the basilisk's wail. Ascend, from the Gates of the Netherworld, for I offer thee this Vessel, this cage of Flesh thou shall avail! Grant me thy Power and use this bane, 'tis blood of Man, shall rot thy Chains! Kalethre, let my Hands be thy Loom of Despair; Seravat, my Bones thy Needle of Lies; Falinor, my Skin thy Cloth of Hate; Jorkalimar, my Hair thy Threads of Malady; and Druarka, my Words thy Shears of Death… O hear me; thy humble servant bows before thee! Create the Tapestry of Chaos, my Task, now I see; my body is yours, by the Lair of Nothingness, I summon thee!"_

"I'm in deep shit, eh?" the blonde gasped, noticing Chigusa that she finished the incantation or whatever Nathan may call it. Occult vocabulary definitely isn't his strongest suit so why bother?

"Oh, please don't say BAD words, Kin'iro-san," the girl said sweetly. She places her left index and middle finger together and holds it over the coin.

Nagase gulps dryly as his fight-or-flight instinct kicks in. He understands that even if she is 'possessed', he can't just bash Chigusa shitless. Violence against a girl is definitely a no-no. It's a man's knightly code. Running away isn't much help either. He is a colleague of Nei-chan in this case, so to gather as much information as he can is probably the best thing to do.

"Save her."

"Huh?" He is still young, so he can hear clearly despite the daily abuse his ears are getting during his work at the Cookie n' Coffee and his free time listening to alternative music. The voice was a young man's, and he wasn't seeing anyone.

…aside from the guy before he momentarily rested his eyes.

He decided to play along anyway.

_"Let's see what you got."_

"Here goes! First question! Who's here?"

The coin moves, inching across the syllabary by itself.

CHI-GU-SA. NA-GA-SE.

"Oh. It got your name wrong," Chigusa pouted. Nagase would have found the expression cute, but given the situation, this was a what-the-fuck moment. "Anyway, you ask next!"

A deep breath passed through Nagase and the query came out. "Who's this?"

CHI-A-KI.

"Nii-chan! Are you doing well?"

HAI.

"Where are you?" the blonde asked nervously.

The reply said BESIDE YOU.

"Mou… Not fair, you should be sitting beside me, Nii-chan…"

SORRY.

 _"Crazy as it seems, that friggin' coin really moves on its own. Fuck, is this what Nei-chan faces every time he snags a job offer?"_ Nagase speculated, beads of sweat forming on his brow, despite the fact that the air is freezing.  _"And Chigusa-chan doesn't seem to hot being outside in that slip."_

"You know what, Nii-chan, I can't find your mug at the kitchen? I hate Papa and Mama for not putting it there together with ours." She then starts to sob. "They… forgot you are still family, even if you're invisible to us…"

I HATE THEM TOO.

"The fuck?" Nagase cannot help but react. He skittered backwards and tried to persuade the girl.

"Of course they didn't. Chiaki-kun's is on the –"

"Lies! I'm sick of them!" the girl shouted, banging at the floor. "Nii-chan is the only one who understands me! Mama and Papa never talks about Nii-chan anymore. They're ALWAYS busy with their jobs!"

The coin isn't inching anymore. It now zooms across the board – with precision. This totally is not going as smoothly as it should. He never expected it to be, but this is just insane.

RIGHT.

"And," she said, voice laced with venom, "they spend more time with YOU than me." She throws a hurtful look at the blonde.

EXACTLY.

"Maybe it's better for Mama, Papa, and all their friends DIE so they will see what Nii-chan goes through every single damn time that he is not remembered… Don't you think, Nii-chan?" she mumbled with a menacing smile worthy of a ton of horror movies in Blu-ray.

Nagase's blood froze as 'Chiaki' whizzed the coin around the board, then stopping instantaneously. He's a man of brawl; he received piercing insults, as well as promises of making him bleed to death in a fistfight. He faced every single one of them, but never had he imagined that just a simple spirit of the coin game with high school girl can send him at the verge of running for his life when the accursed coin resumed on slowly taking its time in spelling out the most terrifying sentence he had encountered to date.

HOW ABOUT STARTING WITH… HIM?

"Save her." The same strained, pleading voice of a young man whispered out of nowhere, a little louder than earlier.

"How the fuck am I going to – "

…he is simply amazed what a possessed high school girl can do with her hands.

* * *

_**Saturday, 23 December 2045. 10:12 pm. Living Area, Nikaido Residence.** _

"That is what we should've told you earlier," Heji muttered apologetically, worry lacing his voice. "It wasn't the only time she did that."

The raven came back from the restroom, straightened a few wrinkles on his black coat and wore a cross-embellished choker under the collar of his pristine white shirt. Silver cufflinks and black dress pants completed his appearance, invoking a regal, divine air around him. He prefers smart but not too classy clothing, but with this job, he needs to 'look' the part.

"Oh, are you a priest, by any chance?" Mai wondered aloud, trying not to sound nosy. Still apprehensive at her child's condition, she seemed reluctant if they will let Nathan handle the situation.

He purses his lips and breathes slowly. "It doesn't matter. We'll get the job done. Nagase's gathering information, so let's just hope that he finds out anything useful for alleviating your worries."

The couple exchanges reluctant glances as the raven kneels by his suitcase beside the main door and fetches a manila folder and an expensive-looking fountain pen made of turquoise. Scanning briefly its contents, he stands dutifully and places three gray sheets of parchment faintly fragranced with lavender. A stylized fleur-de-lis is painstakingly embossed at the top of the page, the name of the firm delicately scripted in Old English, and smaller versions of the logo are scattered uniformly on the whole sheet. The terms and conditions are stated clearly, and a fine line for the signatory marks the end of the document.

Nathan sits opposite the couple and leans over the coffee table. "This is a contract between Velvet Noir and our clients. The terms are simple." He rests his chin on his fists and continues to explain the contents of the document. Heji slowly picked one and read it together with his wife.

"Our main interest is the privacy of our clients. We are running a low-profile firm to protect all information gathered during the cases. However…" he paused, earning a glance from the woman.

"That is only our end of the bargain. This contract is only to make sure that you will be responsible for your privacy as well. That means… We will never divulge whatever we encounter during the case, and you will not, by all means, disclose any information regarding your experiences and the Velvet Noir to ANYONE outside the case."

"Anyone?" Mai asked doubtfully.

Nathan straightened and lit a cigarette. "Right. Anyone. Not even your friends and relatives. The only ones whom you can discuss things regarding this case is your husband and your daughter."

"That's simple enough," Heji nodded, laying the paper down on the table. "What happens if we break it?"

Nathan's expression turned challenging. "Just wait for the letter from our legal counsel. The damages to the office as well as your interests will be ascertained and action will soon follow." He took a drag and smiled easily. "Of course, in our three years of continuous business, we haven't filed a single lawsuit."

"Alright. Who's signing?"

"Since you offered the case to me, Heji-san, please affix your name and signature at the space provided," Nathan instructed. "Accomplish these three. One is for your safekeeping, another for the Velvet Noir and the last one will be for the legal counsel, well, for insurance."

The raven uncapped the pen and handed it to the male Nikaido who then signs the sheets in haste. Mai sighs in apprehension but decides to stay silent.

"The case is now official. Do you have any questions?" Nathan queried, his glance swept from Mai to Heji.

"Chigusa is our only daughter. I'm not so sure if we should trust you on this. Are you even a member of the Church? A paranormal investigator perhaps? Or… a swindler from some foreign country where they proliferate?" Her tone gradually becomes caustic with every phrase.

"Maybe that is why you wanted us to abide by your so called 'contract'."

"Mai!"

An unfazed expression graces the raven's response. "As I said earlier, it doesn't matter. We sometimes require the help of paranormal professionals, but we are not connected with the Church."

"I knew it." Mai seethed. "Even the parish can't help us. How disgraceful, mocking the clergy – "

Heji attempts to calm his wife and stop her tirade. "Mai, please…"

A loud bang reverberates in the living room without warning. The string of insults halted and the lady stood in panic.

"Chigusa!"

She ran towards the stairs near the kitchen and took the flight two steps at a time. The two males followed suit, only to see pale Mai standing by the door at the end of the hallway, staring at the veranda in horror. She cannot even utter a word, which made Heji and Nathan sprint to assess the situation.

A reverse rape scene, where the girl is the one over the guy, flaunts itself to the audience of three.

How kinky.

"Tch. Nagase!"

But when the guy is almost blue and the gentle-looking girl is holding the man's throat that even with sheer strength, he can't get away from her grasp…

Heji approached his daughter in an instant, almost crying at her gruesome expression. Chigusa didn't relent, her small hands gripping at the blonde's neck, the man's veins throbbing in sheer agony.

"Chigusa! Stop!"

"Hah! Fine!" The girl slammed Nagase's skull hard on the wooden floor. She jumped, retreating from her father and the blonde, smirking evilly.

"I'll let you see Nii-chan before the night ends," she announces haughtily, licking a few drops of blood from her fingers. "Rejoice for you are invited to my royal banquet. Don't you feel honored?" Sinister laughs fill the night air.

Nathan felt a bead of sweat rolling from his right brow, feeling agitated. He went beside his friend who was coughing in his attempt to regain the integrity of his vocal cords. The raven fixes his eyes at the little girl, his black eyes burning in contempt.

"I'll be waiting for your favorable reply. Except you," she said in disgust while pointing at the black-haired man. "Even that baldy Archbishop doesn't like your guts that he didn't stop until you got, well, what's the word?" She taps an index finger on her chin, giving an impression that she is thinking.

"Oh. EXCOMMUNICATED."

Spot on.

"My. My. Did I win the jackpot? Anyway, we'll party till we drop with that cute blonde and the rest of the gang while you just scram and burn up in Hell."

Disbelieving stares pegged the raven in place. Nathan's expression darkens, his eyes hiding behind his bangs. He smiles ruefully, not uttering a single word.

"Better prep up! See you guys by twelve. Later." The young lady blew a kiss to everyone present in the veranda, even winking a steel gray eye cutely at the pained Nagase before giggling like a girl with a crush.

…and Chigusa was out cold, losing consciousness immediately, slumping on the wooden parquet like a puppet whose strings got cut.

Nagase nurses his head, palpating gently only to hiss at the bleeding gash on his scalp. The head of the Nikaido family darted towards his daughter while Mai propped herself at the glass door after the scene left her exhausted.

"This… It's not real, right? That's not my sweet little Chigusa…" the mother's woe came out in a muffled cry.

Garnet orbs blinked as the brash male tended his abused neck. Bruises shaped similar to the girl's hands became visible under the fluorescent glow of the lamp passing through the transparent doors of the terrace. Coughs and hacks of a harassed throat decorated the grim atmosphere of the cold veranda.

"She, I-i mean, that  _thing_  is trying to kill us," Nagase stuttered as he explained regardless of the pain his throat was going through. "A-also, that  _thing_ , well, I dunno, called itself Chiaki-kun..?"

"So… Chiaki does have grudges against us?" Heji ponders as he lifts his daughter in his arms. "Definitely. Perhaps we did something unforgivable…"

Mai froze in remembering an event in the past. "Maybe we don't mention him as often as before… I didn't realize how sad Chigusa is. But she said she moved on…"

"She misses her big brother, that's for sure," Nathan stated, offering a hand at Nagase who then grabbed it and got pulled back on his feet. "Acting hostile, even trying to hurt someone… That's overboard."

The coffee barista recalls his conversation with the Nikaidos' daughter. He paces towards the forgotten sheet of paper on the floor and picks it up, causing the coin to clatter noisily, breaking the disturbing silence that envelops them. He holds it for everyone to see and points at the Ancient Zephyrian squiggles encircling the inverse pentagram, now appearing a deep brown – almost brown – against the blue-white light.

"She said what might have sounded like cal-liter, caliper, I mean Kaaah-leeeh… Well, fucktard spelled it like K-A-L-E-T-H-R-E, as far as my English-speaking capabilities could handle… And some other what-the-fuck names that I can't even pronounce properly." His tone is still shaking from his near-death encounter.

Nathan took the hundred-yen coin that fell on the floor and handed it to Mai. The skepticism of the lady he cannot erase, judging from the harsh treatment he received. In spite of this, with realization of the things that transpired, he felt a little confidence boost his morale.

"Heji-san, please bring Chigusa to her room. Leave as soon as you tuck her in. Stay downstairs."

Mai argued with the man's orders. "What? And let her stay that way? There's no way I'm leaving my daughter alone!"

"I see where you're coming from, however, it would be best for you to wait," the man of Velvet Noir softly asserts. Heji nods and starts to head back into the hallway to bring Chigusa to back in her room. The lady Nikaido tries to fight back but the raven proceeds with his argument.

"You just witnessed the strength that she has. Nagase couldn't put up with it. Do you have any idea how dangerous this place can be?"

Silence is the only answer that he received.

"Nagase, I assume you can patch yourself up."

The blonde held his knuckles, popping sounds of finger joints emphasizing his train of thought. He grinned ominously.

"Are you trying to pick up a fight, Arthelinnus?"

If this is an ordinary day, it can be seen as a friendly banter. Tonight is a maelstrom – one cannot escape once a tiny slip is made. It all ends soon. Tomorrow, the sun might not shine for the Nikaido household.

And for them.

"Good. Please help Mai-san and Heji-san for now." He tosses the car keys to the blonde which the taller deftly catches. "Antiseptic and bandages are in the dashboard compartment. I'll just be outside for a quick call and a smoke."

"Alright. I'll fix up a tea latte."

A small smile graced the raven's features as he pat the taller man's shoulder and headed inside to go downstairs.

Mai calmed down considerably, her breaths even, slight shock still obvious in her expression. They are on their way to Chigusa's room, patters of footfalls and the noise from the radiator casting a cozy ambiance around them.

"Kagura-san, is it true that Nei-san… was excommunicated from the Church?"

"Hmm…" Nagase wonders as they reached the girl's bedroom. "I dunno."

"So what is he then? Your superior dresses like a priest."

He wracks his brain for the most appropriate term he can associate the shorter raven. Sure, he had been with Nathan in some of his jobs, but it was only this time that things were out of control, mainly from his perspective. He was surprised that the guy wears clergymen clothes. True, most of the cases when he tagged along are, well, hoaxes; but despite that, Nathan immerses himself in the job until he finds out that a case is a mere scenario of fried neurons, unstable personalities, or battered egos. Go figure.

"An exorcist," he said simply.

Mai had her mouth open for a few moments after realizing what the Velvet Noir person is.

"…I think. And what's excommunicated? Out of communication? That a Catholic lingo or something?"

* * *

_**Saturday, 23 December 2045. 10:41 pm. Outside of the Nikaido Residence.** _

"Mou… That's unfair! I wasn't able to ride Touma!"

"Etou… Gomen… It was an emergency… Got someone outside Velvet Noir here too. He's not an employee, so …"

"…you let me freeze to death riding a motorbike on Shimabura this time of the night? And leaving me here on the roof all by myself? Boss, you better treat your employees right!"

An uneasy laugh gurgled from the man's throat. "It's employee. We're just two people in the – "

"But that faux blonde always drops by and he often joins you on site. Why not hire him? We could definitely use some brawl sooner or later."

"Rule one. A member of the Velvet Noir should have – "

"Cornered. Just forget I said anything. Ooh, I've got the Guilt Veil up and running, by the way."

"Since when?"

"Before that screamo session. God, that bitch was really annoying that I want to scratch her face to shreds with THESE pretty talons of mine – oh, they're not sharp, but I digress. If I were late, the whole neighborhood will be sending the police in a heartbeat."

A relieved sigh clouded the man's face with fog. "Perfect timing. I don't know what might happen if we went behind schedule."

"Pfft. You could've just said 'thank you' and I'm set. Oh, how about a raise? There's this smashing feel-good kit of lip balm, bath gel, lotion and body spritz on sale at Caledonia!"

"Maybe."

"Yay! Now, let's get down to business. You're dealing with the Tapestry of Chaos. We've been juggling psychological help referrals lately, plus a few low-level demons, chained souls and a little sprinkling of hauntings here and there, but behold, here's a big catch this time around."

"Touché. When Nagase said those things, I'm pretty sure they rung some bells. I just don't know who's holding the party later."

"I've got only one demon secured under the Veil. I won't let anyone in – or out. Any other requests, Boss?"

"I'll send you an image of the summoning board later. Check the archives if there are matches with other Portal Seals."

"Gotcha. Oh… By the way, something's bothering me. That's… a high level summoning spell that a bunch of high school people aren't capable of casting…"

"Emotions can be a catalyst, but that's highly improbable."

"Well, for some reason, it happened. Can someone be behind this? Like the ones that happened in New York?"

"…"

"Probably not! Ahahaha!"

"…"

"Should I gather information about Chigusa-chan and her friends up to the second degree?"

"Permission granted."

"Now working on it."

"Alright. If something comes up, give me a call."

"I'll just crash if a Dive is on. Be careful. I hope to see you at the office on Monday, Boss."

Beeps of a busy tone linger in the chilly air. It hasn't snowed yet, and the scent of milk tea sure is relaxing. Nathan closed his flip phone and turned to see the blonde carrying a mug of hot drink. He leaned on the side of Touma and waited for Nagase to join him.

As if they could even relax when there's an abomination waiting to devour them by midnight.

"Hey, you alright?" Nagase asks, handing the mug to the other male who is fetching his pocket for a cancer stick.

"I'm the one who should be asking that question." He got the porcelain mug and lit a tobacco roll single-handedly.

The blonde just shrugs. "So-so. Wounds scabbed pretty nicely. I dunno… But man, I like these war trophies." He craned his neck a little, showing little gashes caused by a high school girl's nails.

"Yeah, like you scored with someone," Nathan stated matter-of-factly.

"That's below the belt, man! And claw marks should appear on my back. Not on my neck, you retard."

Nathan chuckled with mirth. "If you said 'love marks' and the Nikaido couple overheard it, there'll be scattered gray matter on the street come tomorrow morning."

The blonde joins in and laughed softly.

"Nee, you think we'll be okay?"

Nagase sighed, picking a stick from his pocket and the raven soon igniting the other's tobacco.

"I'm still a little scared, but hell, you happen to experience this in some of your jobs, don't ya?"

Loss of words.

Explanations are lengthy, wasteful; phrases and letters just aren't enough to get a lot of things across. Reassuring sentences are hollow. What if they didn't hold out until the morning? All those words will be lies. If he said they'll live another day and fail, will that be taken against him? If he said they're in deep shit and there's no hope for survival, but they lived on, will he be tagged as weak?

Comfort in silence.

The moth clings on hope. Its fluttering noises paint the eerie canvas of the dark neighborhood with a tiny stroke of light. It flies non-stop, occasionally crashes at the glass globe, and never surrenders at its fight for survival.

For life.

* * *

 _**Saturday, 23 December 2045. 11:08 pm. 2** _ _**nd** _ _**Floor Corridor, Nikaido Residence.** _

"How's Chigusa-chan doing?"

Faint scent of burnt tobacco lingers in the air as the 'exorcist' pockets his nicotine-laced hand inside his suit. The scent of it calms him a little despite the eerie ambiance that looms over them.

"She seems to sleep soundly," Heji remarked, fumbling with his fingers nervously, appearing rather agitated by the events that had transpired a little while ago.

"What do we do now?" Mai cut in desperation. "Just do the job and get this over with. I emailed the parish priest in case this doesn't end tonight."

Nagase's eyes narrowed at the lady's obvious show of distrust, earning a knowing look from the raven leaning calmly at the banister. That surely shut out any rebuttal from coming out of his rather colorful mouth.

 _"I really hope we won't be needing them,"_ the raven thought wistfully.

"Heji-san, Mai-san," Nathan spoke solemnly, craning his neck to face the couple situated near the glass doors of the veranda, "Please wait downstairs as you might not like what you would be seeing later on."

The lady Nikaido looked skeptical but decided to follow her husband anyway when Heji gestured his wife to proceed to the living area and wait for further instructions.

He then straightened and faced the blonde who was currently resting his back on the wall near Chigusa's door, hands behind his now-bandaged head.

"Nagase, I know you've been through a lot of, well, fistfights and such. Those scenes never faze you, na?"

The blonde ponders at his best bud's statement. "Of course. Why?"

Nathan closed his eyes gently in comprehension. "If the need arises, how much trust do you have on your… emergency intervention?"

"Hm? As far as my score-a-hit-then-retreat-when-fucked-up, first-aid and self-patching skills can go," the other man replied, his head tilting slightly, trying to understand what the raven meant.

A slight curling of the man's lips bugged the blonde guy's train of thought. Nei-chan is usually easy to spell, but there are instances that Nagase wishes he could just pull the meaning out of those cryptic expressions that the former is constantly making. Humans are not made to become bar code scanners or brain wave analyzers.

"I'll be in your hands then."

Invoking an astute persona, Nathan gently opens the door to the girl's bedroom, taking a deep breath in the process. A teen's haven made its welcome; a study desk with notebooks and other mundane academic paraphernalia stacked neatly suggested Chigusa's aim for excellence – except for a few sheets of paper with doodles and squiggles, a small bookcase lined with high school textbooks, light novels and some direct selling magazines for makeup and fragrances, a TV where a row of picture frames, trinkets and a calendar sit rather homely on it, and a huge poster of Uematsu Megumi plastered on the light peach wall certainly completed the look. Nagase would certainly be on fanboy mode if he saw that. The warm, dim light from the lamp on the bedside table bathed Chigusa in a soft glow. She almost looked peaceful.

Too peaceful to be exact.

He then took the wheeled swivel chair of the study desk and muttered softly, "You better keep watch. I'm leaving the door ajar so you could crash should this whole affair become nasty." Nathan clicked his tongue as he moved near Chigusa's side and sat on the plush beige chair. He then glanced at his pseudo-colleague and smiled weakly.

"Remember: Hold out unless you feel threatened. Run if you must. And… don't look inside lest you deem it absolutely necessary. Am I clear?"

Nagase felt tension going up three notches but chose to oblige. "Crystal. I'm not going anywhere." He slumped and sat cross-legged at the carpeted floor and rested his back on the wall beside the room's door. "Just holler if you need anything."

He was definitely sure that something was up.

"…now, let's begin."

A strange sensation made the blonde squirm as he perceived the air around him getting tacky, much like honey that he usually adds in some tea mixes at Cookie 'n Coffee. Swimming in syrup certainly isn't the most comfortable feeling in the world. Add the silhouette guy he's seeing again in his right peripheral vision and the faint coppery smell his nose catches, he swore he might've turned into a nutcase. Or he is having a very bad dream.

" _Perhaps it is a wrong fucking move, eh?"_

How much had he wished he could light up a cancer stick this very instant?

A glance towards his right definitely made him do a double take. "The hell?"

Nagase blinked thrice when swore he was seeing things – like a mass of tangled branches full of sharp thorns, if only for a split second.

"Nah, maybe I'm just hungry." The blonde planned to stand up, but that same male voice from earlier made his do the otherwise.

"Please. It'd be best if you stayed."

"Huh?" Nagase gasped, his head searching every direction his neck joints would allow. "Hey, you messing with me?"

" _For fucking Kami-sama's sake, I'm pretty positive I've heard that,"_  he thought angrily. No one pokes fun at Kagura Nagase and gets away with it. Thing is, he might've gotten away. He's  _invisible_. No two ways about it. Maybe he should ask for Nathan's psychiatric contacts. Better turn himself in before it's too late. Speaking with one's own self doesn't look too good in public, and it definitely reeks of stupid in private.

"Your partner might be in danger. He's having a hard time now. We're all in this sort of contraption. Even I can't move as freely as I should –"

The brash male hissed, not loud enough to cause suspicion from the other residents downstairs to notice, "Just who are you? Don't tell me you're the one who strangled me a while ago?"

A weak sigh cut the fragile silence. "It doesn't matter. Just stay there. Your light," the voice paused considerably, as if thinking of what to say next, "it's soothing."

His vision cleared a bit. A young male with a cap. That was all Nagase caught a glimpse of after a blink of an eye.

"You're –"

A nervous chuckle brushed his hearing faculties. "So, you  _could_  see me after all. Look. There isn't much time left. I don't know who to ask for help now."

"Go bother Nei-chan," he scowled. "He's the one who took this job after all."

"But… I can't… With all those thorns surrounding him… I won't make it unscathed."

The barista scratched the back of his neck. "Is this some kind of horror movie? First, I almost get killed by  _something_  that makes that girl move like clockwork, next thing I knew, I'm seeing peculiar crap, then, I get tied up in a sticky atmosphere, and finally…" Oh, how he loved those scary silver screen clichés, in full sarcasm.

"What? 'I see dead people' might have ended that sentence perfectly. If this was a better time, I would've laughed my ass off. It never occurred to me that I could a hold of someone alive."

"Touché." Nagase inhaled deeply, trying to diffuse the mixture of anxiety and awe that he was feeling. The scent of copper gets a tad stronger by the second which rings alarm bells in his system.

By the time he resumed regular breathing, he was just thankful that the invisible male is silent. He wondered if the poor guy still had his human senses. The metallic tang hanging in the air is strong enough that he could practically taste it just by breathing through his lips. One can never be mistaken after having several meetings with it for a lot of years past.

Blood.

A few minutes have just passed and it all went down to this. The silence, save for the ticking of the wall clock at the end of the hallway, lingered heavily on him. He stood rather clumsily; ready to barge in the room. Nathan's words now made sense. The big question is, what can you possibly do…

…when you turn around, and all you can see is the same room submerged in what appears to be distorted ether and the entrance is guarded by bloody brambles of sharp and deadly thorns?

* * *

_**XXXXXXXXX, XX XXXX, XXXX. XX:XX XX. The Dive.** _

"Alright! Everybody smile!"

The sun shines rather calmly near the stadium, people buzzing around, loved ones of the players gathering in different locations after the Friendship Match had transpired. Four people were in focus, obviously trying to strike a pose that would definitely make you grin or scowl, depending on your upbringing.

Nathaniel Arthelinnus casually walked behind a young man, probably in his teens, who was wearing the same uniform as the one who was together with the four who were trying to fit themselves in the viewfinder frame.

"Nee, Chigusa-chan! You sure you want to wear that? An umpire cannot bat at the same time, you know," the young man said sheepishly.

The other young male just knocked the helmet the little girl was wearing and chuckled jovially, "Just leave her be, Makoto-kun. She could apply to be our team's mascot that way, ne Tou-chan?"

"That's so not cute, Nii-chan…" the girl sported a faux pout, harrumphing in her attempt to sway the impromptu photographer to just go ahead and take a picture.

"Ahahaha, I thought you would say team manager, Chiaki." The man who seemed like Heji guffawed and slung his left arm over his son's shoulder. "You probably had graduated by then. A team mascot, huh? Sounds like hard work to me."

Mai giggled softly at the banter. "Well, Chigusa-chan? You've got plenty of options to choose when you graduate junior high, ne?"

The youngest Nikaido beamed her biggest grin. "Of course I have! Even if it's just handing towels or shouting 'Fighto!', I'll surely get the job done," Chigusa exclaimed.

"You heard that, Kaa-chan," the young male chuckled. "Oi! Everyone! Makoto-kun doesn't have the whole day."

The male Nikaido's teammate looked thankful of his friend's consideration. "Yosh. Here's another shot!"

The Nikaido family smiled and then the whole location slowed down as it appeared in the picture frame Nagase saw at the living area of the residence. Soon, tens of thousands of thorny vines held the scenario in living stasis. Stillness prevailed as the raven continued on walking.

" _I was so happy back then…"_

Nathan blinked and he was in a small classroom building. It was break time, and students were everywhere, a few girls busy chatting about the newly opened boutique while some guys talk about the latest release of the manga series that just hit the manga café nearby, while a lot of them just bitched about how cram school can be a pain in the ass. Seeing an open door, he entered it and headed towards a window, then sat unceremoniously on its sill.

"I heard Nikaido-san is heading to Koshien today? Isn't that cool?" A girl sipping coffee milk said as if hearts are popping out of her eyes. "I would definitely kill for a ticket!"

Chigusa giggled and winked at her friend. "I've got three extras so you and I could definitely go, Yoko! Minuki-chan was ecstatic when I gave her one. So that's two left now." She looked a bit evil when she whispered at the other, "How about we ditch afternoon class so we could shop and prepare early? And care to invite that boyfriend of yours?"

The raven sweatdropped a little. Of course he never knew that this sweet little girl has "take-me-away-oh-whims-of-youth" tendencies. Nevertheless, he listened on.

"No! Ban-kun… Well, we aren't… We're just friends…" The girl was uneasy with the idea but sported a tiny smile. "Though it sounds nice if you put it that way…"

"I KNEW it," Chigusa beamed, shopping ideas swarming over her head like bees working at their honeycomb. "We should get going, or we'll never hear the end of it when Sensei plans to barge in early."

Packing her school bag in a flash, she slung her plus-size tote and spun in glee. "And off we go!"

Myriad of brambles adorned the slowly-halting tableau, leaving the raven dallying despite the urgency of his situation – and his client's.

_"And soon, it began rolling downhill…"_

Seconds ticked and in a flash, sirens of the paramedics blared along the street, a few spectators gossiping near the overturned bus. Crash site investigators were busy taking photos and barricading the scene, numerous police officers interrogating a number of witnesses who saw the vehicle stumble from its route. The scent of burning gasoline and rubber attacked the raven's olfactory center, making him scoff as he covered his nose and mouth.

"…and all of a sudden, BOOM! The bus hit the fence and started a-tumbling down that cliff," Eyeglasses-san said breathlessly, doing rather large gestures with his hands as he reenacted the moment of the accident. "I swear the driver drunk, I'm sure of it!"

Troubled Policeman-san scratched his head and licked the lead of his pencil before jotting the details down. "So, as you were saying, he was swerving from lane to lane before he collided with the metal fence and plummeted towards the riverbank?"

The Lady-who-appeared-to-be-done-with-her-grocery-trip-san retorted quickly. "That seems to be right. Oh, how unfortunate. The boys inside the bus were really scared, but the driver seemed to be panicking instead of being tad drunk."

"You telling me I'm a liar? I saw it with both of my eyes!"

Lady-san huffed and put a hand on her hips. "I never said anything of the sort. I'm just speculating since I'm over there when this thing happened." She then pointed at the sidewalk a few yards away from the distorted metal fence where the bus started to slide towards its doom. "Lucky me, I was able to run farther since I thought I might get hit by that poor bus. Luckier you, the crash occurred far from you that you didn't become one of those casualties," the woman said matter-of-factly.

Nathan rested his back at the warm front of the dilapidated bus, not that the people at the scene were paying attention to him. He turned his head a little, only to grimace at the number of lifeless bodies inside it. The paramedics team were pulling casualty upon casualty, praying that somehow there are survivors in the tragic accident that happened a day before the Koshien tournament.

"My arm! It hurts! Mama! Papa!" One wailed in agony, shock lacing his expression. His baseball uniform was emblazoned with red, his face stained with dried blood and soot. It was Makoto from a few moments ago.

The scenery was soon laced with crimson, marking the near end of the day. To the raven's discomfort, he was surely expecting the worst. Out of the twenty-five people on that trip to oblivion, fifteen body bags were laid side-by-side. The said bags were zipped painstakingly slow, the medical crew murmuring prayers of safe passage for the departed. One face did he not miss seeing. He should be used to this, but it was still heartbreaking that his stoic exterior displayed a gritting jaw.

Chiaki-kun.

_"I was sad, angry, tired. I even wished that it was Makoto-kun who died instead of Nii-chan. …but, that was my selfishness getting the best of me. I became somewhat glad that there were survivors. I miss Nii-chan so much that when I was given a chance to speak with him again…"_

Thorny vines decorated the view as it slowly morphed into total darkness. A dim spotlight clicked and a lone sheet of paper and a hundred-yen coin came into view. Silhouettes of three girls made themselves shown, and then a present-day Chigusa materialized. Unintelligible chants attacked his ears in a way that a normal person would find it disturbing.

 _"Ah, the same thing Nagase was talking about,"_  Nathan thought, watching the girls play the accursed Ouija-like game.

"Are you lonely, Nii-chan?"

You have no idea, Chigusa-chan.

"But…"

I know. It's not your fault, Chigusa-chan. There will always be a time when people will forget about me. Too bad, it was Tou-san and Kaa-san who seemed to be the first ones who did.

"That's… That's impossible!"

Nathan raised an eyebrow at the answers that the poor girl was getting. Sure, the responses were subtle, and can be considered the voice of the departed Chiaki-kun, but the words that followed…

They were lies. Pure and unadulterated.

You all need to move on with your daily lives; time isn't stopping for you. I understand that our parents need to earn for a living – for you as well.

"Nii-chan…" Chigusa frowned, lost in the sea of words that the coin spelled on the board.

"Alright, alright. So much for the drama session," Nathan blurted out of the blue – or rather, the dark. He fished his dress pants pocket for a cigarette and lit it before speaking in monotone. "How about… we play a little game, Chiaki-kun?"

Dumbfounded, the girl turned her head towards the man's direction, suddenly appearing lost. She held a hand over her elbow, tension filling the stagnant air.

"It's just simple. We don't have a diamond to go for baseball, not to mention we lack players to even complete one team," the raven explained matter-of-factly, his finger flicking a little ash on the floor. "We'll play I've Never. You heard about that game?"

The coin zoomed across the large sheet of paper in response.

IT'S A DRINKING GAME. I'M UNDERAGE.

A dim light clicked and a small cherry wood bar came into view. Rows upon rows of lead crystal glasses, liqueurs, wines, and flaring implements adorned the racks and counters. The Ouija-like paper was stuck at the wall on the right side of the bar like a poster. Chigusa was then seen sitting at a tall bar stool, a fizzy cream soda set near her. The girl was stunned that she was currently at the said location beside a male wearing a baseball uniform.

Chiaki-kun.

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, there are only three rules," Nathan chided playfully, getting a 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from the racks and popped the cork open. The cancer stick hung loosely between his lips, making him look more like a barista than a clergyman.

He took a wine goblet and a short glass and set it on the counter with a light clink. Putting down the bottle of wine near the goblet, he reached for the mini-fridge under the counter, earning silent gazes from the two in front of him.

"First, say your statement, starting with 'I've never…' then followed by another phrase," Nathan started, getting a two-liter purple PET bottle. "It could be anything. 'I've never… hung out at a sweet shop alone,' or things like that would suffice. You get it? Oh, and you don't mind grape juice?"

"I don't," Chiaki shrugged, then looked at his sister and smiled a little. "But then, should I accept things from strangers?" he said in a caustic manner.

"You wound me." The raven seemed unfazed by the hostility of the boy. "The safety seal isn't even broken yet. Maybe you should do the honors and open it yourself?" he stated with a grin. "Tch. It just got delivered and they'll get an earful of that person's wrath if it's no good for human consumption."

The siblings looked at each other before Chiaki grabbed the plastic bottle and twisted the cap. The boy was a bit satisfied with the sound of a released vacuum. He got puzzled though since the label said 'Ichi-go~' when the scent of the drink definitely confirms that it cannot be anything but grape. Manufacturers should name their products properly. Who in their right mindset would call a juice drink Ichi-go when there's not a tinge of strawberry in it in the first place? Chiaki then rested the bottle on the polished wooden countertop.

"Does it even exist in the convenience store five blocks away?" Chigusa pondered aloud, sipping her cream soda and getting surprised that it was French vanilla in fizzy kiwi.

"Rule number two: Drink a shot when you did the thing that a player just stated. You still follow me?" The raven said, pouring the purple concoction into the short glass for the boy to consume later. This earned a nod from the baseball player.

"Good. Now, for the last rule," Nathan muttered softly, handing the wine bottle to the boy. "No lying, or swallow a thousand thorns if you do. By the way, it's customary that you serve the other his drink, right?"

"Of course. I didn't know that you knew Nihon culture despite being away from the country since time knows when," Chiaki answered, right hand handling the bottle carefully while resting the bottle neck gently on the other hand's fingers as he filled the raven's glass.

"Maa, maa. I'm part-Japanese so sticking to your own roots means embracing your lineage." He took a quick puff of smoke before extending his hand to get a staff chair for him to sit on – which is… no different from the bar stools on the other side.

Chigusa stirred her drink with its straw and raised a thought. "Hm? I think it should be needles, not thorns, onii-san," she corrected the raven who seemed rather puzzled.

"Needles, was it? They serve the same purpose. They're all pointy so who cares?" It was Nathan's turn to shrug as he fetched an ashtray and sat in front of the siblings.

"Well then, midnight's just around the corner. Game on?"

* * *

_**Saturday, 23 December 2045. 11:13 pm. Rooftop, Nikaido Residence.** _

"Now it's almost three-quarters an hour before midnight. Why should someone like me get stuck here during this freezing time?" the Velvet Noir personnel blabbered aloud, shivering a little while sipping on a steaming cup of a pink vacuum flask and clicking away at a pink laptop… connected by a pink wire… to a portable pink satellite dish. It was definitely an overdose of red with a splash of white.

"What's with off days when you're on call? How stupid. This line of work is stupid. Boss is stupid, well… sometimes. Gragh!" A beep followed by an annoying sound of failure grated the person's nerves.

"And now this stupid firewall just won't give up! Well, EAT THIS YOU STUPID MORON!" the person hissed. A crescendo of angry keystrokes later and the poor system on the other end surrendered and granted access to the nearly-screaming employee.

That makes five 'stupid' bullets fired in rapid succession.

"That's the way, or I'll bitchslap you to oblivion. You're totally under my mercy so be a good boy or I'll send you to the deepest bowels of cyberspace Naraku." The keystrokes became subtle and melodic sounds of easy access floated like steam from the person's brewed coffee. "I'll suck you dry, so give me all that you've got, ne?"

The LCD screen got filled with pictures, text and a number of charts and tables. "Hm. Sounds like a regular schoolgirl to me, that Nikaido Chigusa-chan. Fazebuck and Tweetur don't offer much, unlike school records do…"

The poor employee grimaced at the gentle assault of a cold breeze.

"Mou… I somehow don't mind sweaty locker rooms or obnoxious ashtrays in the office, but reeking of blood certainly doesn't suit Boss." Worry and anxiety is a cocktail for temporary insanity if not acknowledged properly.

"Screw this. I've got sufficient data – for now." The person's eyes closed, took a deep breath before sighing in disapproval.

"Of all things, a bar? With two juveniles? How interesting." Sarcasm was obvious, but the person decided to barge in anyway.

"I just hope the Dive isn't too deep to resurface when the worst case scenario happens. Boss, be there in a second."

Dark skies overhead show the tell-tale signs of soon-to-fall snow. The cursor on the LCD monitor blinks lazily while the now tepid cup of coffee sits neglected on the cold surface of the Nikaido residence's roof.

 _**Saturday, 23 December 2045. 11:15 pm. 2** _ _**nd** _ _**Floor Corridor, Nikaido Residence.** _

Nagase cursed for the nth time when he stood and took another glance at the client's room. The absence of brambles he swore he observed earlier almost had him at his wit's end. Nathan sat there, eyes closed and brows furrowed in concentration, Chigusa still tucked quietly in her bed, breathing evenly.

"Fuck. Must be having a nice dream," the faux blonde scoffed at the situation. He caught Chiaki crossing his arms and leaning his back on the wall near him while looking helpless. "Yo, those thorny whatzits one of your tricks or something?" he said in a low volume so as not to raise suspicion to the residents staying downstairs.

"I told you I can't see clearly behind those thorny vines," Chiaki responded, voice seeming tired. "We're stuck here while your friend there does his work."

"You didn't tell me that."

"I didn't?"

He almost shouted in astonishment. "Are you whacked in the brain or something? It's weird that you don't even know what you were saying a few minutes ago."

"How would I know? I'm a spirit for how many years now. Time has no meaning for entities like me."

"That's not the point!"

The male Nikaido reacted at the building noise upstairs.

"Is everything alright up there?" the worried voice of Heji-san echoed from the living area.

Flustered, Nagase stammered, trying to calm his anger the way he used to a few years ago. "Hai, hai. The situation's still the same. Don't sweat about it."

Hushed whispers attacks his ears as he sighed in temporary relief. What if the couple sees the doorframe laced with… He didn't even imagine the repercussions of the said idea.

"Tou-chan and Kaa-chan feel agitated, I swear," Chiaki remarked wearily, fiddling with the belt loops of his uniform. "Alas, I can't do a thing in this form. They couldn't even get a glimpse of me."

"Shut up and deal with it," Nagase hissed, shushing the boy quiet. "Nei-chan is giving his best, so we better hold on and observe what happens."

"…Roger that."

Forty minutes passed by; the faux blonde pacing the corridor near Chigusa's room for how many times, all while Chiaki lazily floated and followed him with every step he made.

"Tch. You're annoying. Go do something else, like making practice swings or jogging in place."

Chiaki growled in response. "Spirits don't need physical maintenance, thank you very much. Muscular atrophy is out of the equation, Kagura-san."

Nagase knew that a headache will soon knock him underhandedly. "Ugh. Quit the smart talk. What's astro– Gragh! Is that even Japanese?"

"Forget it," the boy said glumly. Chiaki now makes practice swings capable of hitting a fastball.

The barista leaned his back at the banister and observed the boy. The faraway look in his eyes made his expression soften a little.

"Nee, you really like baseball?" he asked out of nothing to say.

Chiaki shuddered, stopping suddenly, then crossing his arms and wrapping himself in a solitary embrace. Pain and regret ran through his physique – or what seems to be the shell of his former existence.

"It's not even LIKE. Baseball is my life; though it's really in third place. My family and my friends come first and second. If only I survived that day… I could've told Chigusa-chan…"

The gentle shaking of a blonde head made the boy wonder. "Yapping about the past won't do anything. Besides, what you have is now. At least you still exist. You should be thankful that you're even staying here in this house despite the fact that you can't be seen nor felt by them."

The baseball senior's eyes glazed a bit. "You know," he said with a tiny grin, "I thought you're all muscle and brawl. Maybe that's the light I saw in you earlier. I started to believe it was a fluke."

"Nah, that's just Nei-chan's germs rubbing off on me. Man, he's a Rubik's Cube, a Pandora's Box even," Nagase almost laughed, given the dire scenario in front of them. The plethora of brambles and stench of metal still assaults his senses and he's growing sick of it.

A loud ringing sound akin to an extreme case of tinnitus or a grave karaoke box feedback knocked the brawler's eardrums, causing him to grab on the wooden banister in dear life. Instinct tells him to run inside the room.

"Oi, Kagura-san. You're sweating bullets… You okay?"

_"Remember: Hold out unless you feel threatened. Run if you must. And… don't look inside lest you deem it absolutely necessary. Am I clear?"_

The thought reverberated in his brain. Now's not the time to think twice.

"The hell I'm running away."

With a gasp of air, Nagase lunged forward into the room, not minding the gashes he will be earning from the spiky barricade the door held.

Soon, it was all dark.

* * *

_**XXXXXXXXX, XX XXXX, XXXX. XX:XX XX. The Dive.** _

"Hm? So you haven't dated a girl yet?" Nathan chided, causing the younger male to blush a little. The grape juice sat half-full on the polished wooden counter while the wine bottle was in the baseball senior's vantage point as he stared at its label.

"I could say the same to you," the flushed boy retorted, not looking at the tender's onyx orbs. "It's my turn now. I've never… watched porn in my whole life."

The raven chuckled and drunk his share with a satisfied sigh. "Of course I did! I'm a healthy young man after all." He notices that the girl squirms in her seat. He then raises his eyebrow and flicks the boy's glass to a melodic ring. "How about you? Not drinking that, huh? Your sister tells me the otherwise. "

Chigusa sipped her soda nervously before speaking in a hushed manner. "I think I cracked a few DVDs when I tried to clean your room before…"

"See?!" Nathan taunted mischievously.

"No, no! They have no label whatsoever. Just pure white. They're…not what this man is saying, right?"

"Alright. I give." And with that, the baseball senior downed the purple liquid, earning a wide-eyed girl who was now redder than a cherry tomato in a bowl of salad greens.

"Hahaha! That's Chiaki-kun for you; a hot-blooded teen with raging hormones!" the jovial Nathan blabbered as he poured the young boy another round. "What a pervert. Well, in my former days…"

"Could you please stop embarrassing me? That secret should've been taken to my grave."

"Apparently, it was found out by our lucky treasure hunter Chigusa-chan. Good job!" The raven beamed at the girl as he lit his fourth stick in the bar.

Chiaki fidgeted in his chair as he gave another shot to the perverted bartender who he was playing with for quite some time now.

An inane barrage of statements followed: picking up a stranger, trying to cheat in an exam, pulling pranks at a terror teacher, picking up a poor critter in the rain… The two bottles came to a close tie, each containing more or less three more rounds. The night sure is still young, and the three are having a nice getting-to-know conversation as the game continued.

"My turn now," Nathan said in high spirits, looking at the boy in the eye. "I've never –"

The door's chime jingled, breaking the nice jazz music that the old jukebox played the whole time they were playing the game. A silhouette of a man became apparent on the frosted glass panel of the door, making the bartender squint knowingly before putting on his 'excellent service' face and pacing quickly towards the entrance to welcome the customer.

"Irraishaimase!"

A very lost Nagase came into view and looked questionably at the bar employee.

"…Nei-chan? The fuck are you doing here?"

The raven glared daggers at the newcomer. "I'm afraid that kind of language is not fitting for our guests as of the moment. Please refrain from using those terms inside the premises or I'll be forced to kick your fucking ass home."

"Um… You just said a cuss word," the girl by the counter said matter-of-factly.

"Ah, gomen, gomen!" Nathan said, not looking sorry at all. Nagase's face was painted 'The fuck is going on?' while the raven was all customer-service smiles. "Well, Okyaku-sama, would you mind having a seat at the bar counter? We're just playing a game and we somehow needed a judge for the finale."

The blonde said nothing but caught on the other male's façade and decided to go along with it.

"Alright. Whatever you say."

"Yosh!" Nathan ran towards a bar stool and pulled it for the brawler to sit. "An ice-cold beer perhaps? A Bud? San Mig Premium? Sapporo?"

"The house draft. And a few words from you later," Nagase declared, sitting on the bar chair rather abruptly.

"Excellent choice." The bartender produced a frozen beer mug from the chest freezer nearby and got a serving of beer from the draft tap, then sliding it across the counter for the blonde to deftly catch. "Since you're new here, it's on the house. Consider it a warm welcome for gracing the Velvet Noir with your patronage."

"Ugh, right. Kanpai." The blonde raised his mug and took a swig.

"Now, now, to continue the game." A few steps later and the tender was at his same location on the other side of the counter, leaning on the ledge. Nagase took a glance at the other customers and did not hide his surprise when he saw the two children sitting a a pan away from him.

Chigusa-chan.

And Chiaki-kun?

 _"How? He said he even can't breach the… Fuck. Making a fool out of me, huh?"_  Nagase thought as he observed the younger ones.

Just as the blonde started to question the boy, Nathan interrupted him by laying a new set of rules.

"As a judge, you are to ascertain if the statement is acceptable for the taking," he declared, raising his index finger for emphasis. "And finally, you are to say if the person is saying the truth or not. It's easy, really."

The blonde thought for a moment before nodding in comprehension. "Hmm. It's I've Never, right?"

"Ping-pong. We've got a winner!"

_"Honestly, I dunno if I prefer this Nei-chan over the other one. Tch. After walking in the dark, I just ended up here, then lo' and behold! A sugar-drenched Nathaniel Arthelinnus."_

Nagase spotted the green wine bottle the boy was pouring to a goblet in a rather careful manner.  _"It's probably Nei-chan's… Wait…"_

"So… I've never…. hmmm…. said 'I love you' to someone before it's too late."

This is certainly a declaration.

_"…of war. What are you plotting? And this Chigusa-chan's, well, normal yet conflicted, compared to the one we met earlier…"_

Nathan frowned at the blonde who found the wine rack rather interesting. "Oi, Okyaku-sama. We don't have the whole night. You up to this?"

"It's fine. Statement's legit. Go for it."

Chiaki ended up sloshing the drink down his throat. "Of course. When someone's dear to me, they earn my affection. You should very well know, Chigusa-chan," the boy said with a sad grin.

_"Hold on a sec! I believe I'm forgetting something."_

"Oi, you look constipated, Okyaku-sama. Should I accompany you to the bathroom?" the bartender taunted, grinning maliciously at the blonde.

"Shut up, you retard. Go on with the game."

Nathan smiled knowingly. "Certainly. The answer's accepted then." He filled the boy's glass with Ichi-go~ and never touched his goblet.

 _"This is really Nei-chan then. He's not good with those words so it's a relief that he's the only one I'm familiar with in this crazy place."_ Nagase saw the trademark cigarette box of his best bud lying on the counter so he helped himself with a stick and lit it with the lighter he got from his pocket.

"So, it's your turn now, Chiaki-kun. Better make a FABULOUS one so we could bring a praiseworthy end to this game of ours."

Surely, the blonde figured out something is really wrong inside the Velvet Noir (which he always known as a semi-posh office). The lighter itself was a giveaway.

_"What's a 'Lets TaLk L8R' pick-me-up lighter doing in my pocket? I don't have one, not to mention this stupid neon purple cheapness."_

A triumphant look gleamed on Chiaki-kun's face. "How about… I've never…been convicted for a major crime."

The onyx orbs of the raven seemed blank for a moment before chuckling and downing his goblet in one gulp. "Haha. You got me. But… That is a story for another day," he evaded further questioning as he winked at the blonde who gave him a sharper glare.

_"It's as if he's telling me to ask later… Fuck."_

It started to fall in its proper places: all of the things he heard recently.

"Nee, Chigusa-chan, you're awfully quiet," the blonde asked the girl. The said person jumped and faced the man a few paces from her position.

"How did you know my name? Do I know you?" she stammered, not knowing what to say next.

Nathan's gaze swept across the customers and clapped his hands for attention. "Now, the moment of awesome will commence. For this final round, why don't we ask our dear judge to come up with a statement that will surely be bold enough to finish this game in an ultimate conclusion?"

Chiaki sat silent as he refilled the goblet of the older man and sighed calmly. "Sure thing. I don't mind."

"It's decided then. Now, Okyaku-sama, do the honors, if you must."

Lies. Would all the words he heard, things that he saw, emotions of others that he observed, the inconsistencies that he felt, be all lies? Ever since he stepped inside the Nikaido household, the whole lump was a bitter pill to swallow. He almost died this night, and he is still clinging on the very filament of life and death itself.

_"Think, Nagase. THINK. Nei-chan is certainly doing his job. I should do my part too."_

A spark of genius hit him square in right hand. It tingled in response to the stream of notions running in his brain. Holding the frostbite-worthy, still ice-cold beer mug with his dextral hand, he took a swig and eyed the baseball senior sitting a yard away from him.

"Nee, Kin'iro-san, just say what I've Never comes to your mind."

Kin'iro-san.

Then it clicked.

"I've never… had the intention to kill someone in my whole life."

Nagase keenly trained his dark brown eyes at the two of the players of the 'fabulous' game and got surprised that Nathan picked up his goblet and raised it towards the blonde.

"Shall we have a toast? For better friendship."

He wasn't prepared for his statement's implication on their relationship. True, Nathan isn't really an open book, but he never knew that his best bud has gotten into this. It's not an everyday scenario that you will delve into your friend's dark side, but this is totally new.

Nevertheless, who was he to judge? Ah, the irony.

An easy smile made its way through the blonde's lips and he raised his mug in response.

"For better friendship."

A clang of lead crystal meeting a beer mug resonated in the bar, melting in the soft tunes of the piano playing in the background. The two elder males downed their drinks, leaving an eerily silent Chigusa and a nonplussed Chiaki swirling the grape juice inside the glass while gripping it until his nails turned white.

"Onii-chan," the girl broke the silence and lightly held on the sleeve of her brother's shirt.

The boy chuckled and put the glass down. "That didn't even cross my mind."

Run if you must.

_"My supposed-to-be-murderer is in front of my face! His pretty face will meet my not-so-pretty fist soon."_

His right hand was still tingling despite the mug's temperature being cool but not freezing. Somehow, fear started to grate his nerves to a fray when Nathan spoke calmly, resting his goblet on the polished black cherry wood with a soft clink.

"Nagase, please accompany Chigusa-chan to the corner booth. I'll have beer, cream soda and cake served there in a heartbeat," the raven ordered firmly. The blonde looked puzzled and relieved at the same time, nodding before taking a reluctant girl away with him. A few paces away, an isolated area with plush chairs and same black cherry wood table with an out-of-place white chrysanthemum floral arrangement came into the two's view.

The girl sunk to the chair on one side, a translucent divider obscuring her view. The blonde opted to side across the girl, his left side showing the bar counter in plain view. A wave of calm enveloped him, though the scene made a few nerves twitch.

"Perhaps it's time…"

The contents of the boy's glass turned red; adding the serious face Nathan was wearing as he spoke in his calm manner, things could get pretty nasty from there.

"…for you to swallow a thousand thorns."

Jazz music suddenly turned into a sonorous aria when the very same thorny vines emerged from different directions and clung onto the boy, causing him to bleed profusely as he tried to get away. Wails of pain echoed, causing Chigusa to jump and try to run towards the booth's entrance.

"Onii-chan!"

A waitress wearing a sleek, black uniform with pink lace arrived, bearing a tray with a tabletop beer barrel and things that Nathan mentioned prior to their settling in the booth. She flipped her hair and blocked the agitated girl's view and semi-forced her way to serve the two.

"A big hunk of house draft, a vanilla cream soda and a slice of strawberry shortcake, all on the house. I believe I got what Boss sent to the pantry."

She set the good and the sweet stuff on the table and walked towards the entrance of the booth, resting her back on the frame while holding the tray elegantly in front of her lap. A nice, sexy barricade, if one would squint.

Nagase blushed faintly and tried to avert his gaze from the waitress', well, goodies. "Nice timing, ugh…"

A gentle smile made the man's stomach flutter a little. "It's Kia. Shimizu Kia. Pleased to meet you, Kagura Nagase."

"Ah. Kia-chan then~" The clouds were in his reach but he abruptly changed from dazed to critical. "How did you know me?"

"Well~ For starters, that tightwad is my Boss and you drop by the office often," Kia replied simply, watching the scene as if it's a normal day. "It's been a while since the office received such exorcism request. Really takes me on a trip down memory lane."

The blonde stayed silent and helped himself with a mug of beer, then taking a sip and watched the girl pick on her cake.

"Hey, you must be really angry at the poor cake," Nagase remarked, wincing a bit at the girl's sorry look.

"Uh, no. I'm just nervous. Onii-chan… Was he always like that?"

A scratch in the head was the only thing that he could do. "Well… Maybe not. Look. Things are really… not what they always seem."

"You think so, umm…"

Forced cheerfulness masked the barista's expression. "Kagura Nagase. I believe it's the first time we met."

"It seems so… You look like the bad people from those TV shows…"

His forced cheerfulness turned to a sad defeat. "Sorry if fit the part." This caused Kia to chuckle at the blonde's predicament.

Chigusa then smiled a little. "But, you don't seem to be a baddie. More like a Sakuraba-san, to be exact."

Wine red orbs widened.

Fanboy System: All Green.

"That's from Eternal Sleep! You play that game too?" Nagase turned from adult to a child who got a new toy for Christmas; a pretty rare sight, to be honest.

Sadness and a longing look made its way to Chigusa's face. "Well, we used to. Onii-chan helps me get through a lot of scenarios and sidequests."

The noise of snapped vines alerted the blonde and the redheaded waitress. High-pitched howls and sounds of disembowelment caused Nagase to turn a few shades paler. What seemed to be Chiaki earlier now sports sharper teeth, razor nails, and a lot of lacerations, his uniform shredded into strips; sweat, blood and other bodily fluids emerge from every cut and orifice. The poor boy, still with a few brambles caught around his torso and legs, zoomed towards the isolated booth.

Astonishment held the faux blonde's gaze at the bloody, cut-strewn Nei-chan at the now ruined counter, grabbing a jet-adorned silver gun in his right hand… and a mass of thorny vines in his left.

Whoever told that exorcism is a clean job must be a hallucinating.

"No one, and I mean NO ONE can get into and out of the Veil," Kia screeched, brandishing the tray towards Chiaki's face, its impact halting the attack in a moment. The boy tried forcing itself to the booth, but to no avail. The Guilt Veil is now over the client's location.

"Boss! Are you aching anywhere?!"

Coughing fits ensued before the raven made his reply. "Still kicking. Don't get yourself hurt. And Nagase, do your job." Nathan spat a blood bubble and sent three shots to the writhing Chiaki.

"Ch-chigusa-chan –"

The girl stood, walking towards the booth's entrance. Kia and Nagase tried to shield Chigusa's eyes from the gory affair happening just a few steps away.

"Chigusa-chan! Take your seat, NOW!" pleaded Nagase. If he knows that he probably won't be able to sleep a few nights after this incident, how could a high school student fare after seeing THIS?

She shook her head. "It's alright." She then took Nagase's right hand and held it with both of her hands. A tiny spark of light formed at the center of his palm as the girl smiled.

"Thank you for making me realize that I'm living in a delusion. It's time for me to wake up."

She then withdrew from the blonde and faced the gruesome face of Chiaki through the Veil. Kia aimed to deter the girl from approaching her brother but tired yet firm order of Nathan held the waitress back.

"Leave her be."

"As you say, Boss."

Chigusa never winced nor scrunched in disgust when she saw what her brother had become. "Say, Onii-chan, did you deceive me all these time?"

"I didn't –"

The words of freedom rang aloud. Bitter yet mixed with a little sweetness at the same time.

"You are not Onii-chan."

The boy writhed some more and convulsed uncontrollably. His limbs twisted in insane angles and his head seemed as it was broken in a huge jolt. More and more brambles slithered against his skin, showing torn muscles and bleeding like a tap.

"Onii-chan was shy, but he never denied anything, be it bad or good. He never had the intention of killing anyone for as long as I can remember. And… how can I be so dumb not to find it out immediately?" she smiled with a lone tear running down her left cheek before continuing.

"…Onii-chan never ever called our parents Tou-san and Kaa-san."

Howls and shrieks from Chiaki-kun pierced everyone's ears as he painstakingly strained to get a hold of Chigusa.

Alas, he cannot do anything of the sort, not to the now aware Nikaido Chigusa.

"I'm sorry for the mess I made… Anou, Bartender-san…" she said apologetically, seeing the ruins of the former bar where they played the game for a while.

Nathan, though battered and wounded, dematerialized his gun in an array of faint light beams before fishing a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it in leisure.

"It's Nathaniel Arthelinnus. Well, milady, our client's orders are of highest priority."

Chigusa's tears flowed freely as she gave her request to the Velvet Noir's proprietor with a sad yet empowered smile. The other two adults got astounded by the girl's – their client's – wish.

"The game ended. He lied. Let the rules prevail."

The raven is more than willing to oblige. With a puff of smoke, he clenched his left fist and sent more and more prickly vines towards Chiaki, metaphorically passing on the verdict.

"Rule number three. Never lie. Swallow a thousand thorns if you do."

Kia, noticing the carnage that will soon commence, instructed the shaken blonde. She pinched the man's cheek as if smitten with him and whispered at his left ear.

"This will be a rated R scene for kids so you better shield her eyes or you'll never hear the end of it," she held her thumb out and pointed at the raven that was busy carrying out the client's behest.

In a rush, the blonde held the young girl by her shoulders and gently turned her away from the gruesome episode that still shook his being just hearing the smacking and sloshing sounds. Nagase felt the wave of relief that the whole affair is over – for good. A deep breath caused him to loosen up from the tension building up the time he crashed inside the girl's room.

A shrill scream totally incomparable to Chiaki's voice resounded inside the Velvet Noir, marking the end of his desperate attempt of escaping the raven's grasp. A soft, sizzling noise then became eminent and soon, the soprano's aria earlier slowly traversed to its denouement. Nagase settled on helping Chigusa take her former seat inside the still standing booth. Out of nothing to do, he rested his back on the divider and closed his eyes for a moment before watching their little client changing from all tears to her calm and quiet.

Footsteps approached the booth, every stride making a little crunch here and a little sloppy sound there. The scent of burning tobacco and spilled blood got stronger with every step.

Kia let out a long breath and crossed her arms, pleased look gracing her rather edgy features. Flipping her shoulder-length hair triumphantly, she eyed the battered Nathan, his shirt and coat almost falling apart.

"Nice work, Boss," the redhead commended, hazel eyes sweeping at the tired man's torso; built, but a mile away from physique of the blonde barista. With a whistle, she added, "Nice bod too."

"Ugh, thanks?" the 'exorcist' replied, his speech muffled by the cigarette between his lips. Nathan's left arm had those thorny vines ripping against his skin, making the blonde wince when he saw the man enter the booth and plop himself tiredly against the wall.

"Man, that's painful," was all Nagase could say. "Let me patch you up later. And fuck, who is that and where the hell are we?" he queried in rapid succession, bewilderment surfacing from his chest.

"I'm sorry but you boys need rest," the waitress butted in. "And Kagura-san, better take care of Boss or I'll kick your sorry ass," she added, walking away and snapping her fingers.

…kicking someone's ass seems to be a trend at the Velvet Noir hierarchy.

"Guilt Veil's down. Oh, and I'm taking that summoning board for analysis. Permission to disconnect?"

A weary outbreath and the raven acknowledged the waitress' demand.

"Granted."

In a blink, the redhead vanished into thin air, leaving an agape-mouthed Nagase. Chigusa on the other hand wore a small smile and held her cream soda glass and took a sip.

"Anou… Aruzerinusu-san, Kagura-san… Thank you very much for taking care of me," she mumbled, eyes fixed at the table. "I should've known that I was being deceived for some time now. I wonder how Otou-san and Okaa-san are faring…"

Nagase opted to nag the raven later so he consoled the young girl instead. "They're fucking worried, but they'll surely start a party once they see that you're back."

"That board… I was possessed, was I not?" she hypothesized, recalling the events that had transpired a few weeks prior to the clash in the bar.

Nathan took a quick drag and spoke in a serious tone. "Pretty quick to catch up, Chigusa-chan. We're glad to have you back. I wish we could talk more, but now's not really a good time. You should wake up now. They're waiting."

Chigusa gave a glad nod with a big grin in appreciation and the bar faded slowly while a shining red twine materialized around her right wrist, extending to a location of infinite distance away.

"Again, thank you very much."

A huge payment is something to celebrate about; a genuine smile from a satisfied client is a huge bonus.

* * *

_**Sunday, 24 December 2045. 12:01 am. Chigusa's Bedroom, Nikaido Residence.** _

The blonde barista almost freaked out when he opened his garnet orbs and he found himself standing in front of their client, smiling peacefully in her sleep. A dull pain nagged the center of his right hand but he paid no heed to it. What struck him the most was the weak voice of his best bud just sitting right beside him.

"N-nagase…"

The raven's pristine clothes got a little soaked with nothing else but blood trickling from his forehead and temple. His complexion is a little pale compared to what he normally looked like in regular days.

"Fuck! Oi! Don't you dare faint on me!" he exclaimed, rushing to hold the man upright. He finally recognized that he was bleeding as well at the pierced wound on his dextral hand. Imaginary punching the hell out of his best bud for answers seemed to be a very bright idea, but taking care of the other's predicament just topped the priority list.

"Heji-san! Mai-san! Lend me a hand here!"

Nathan chuckled weakly. "How noisy. The police will be here shortly if you kept on screaming like that."

"The fuck are you talking about? Man, punching morons are different from, from… Argh! You shut up!"

* * *

  _ **Sunday, 24 December 2045. 12:03 am. Rooftop, Nikaido Residence.**_

"This is such a pain in butt," Kia ranted at the mess of electronic equipment, stay-warm paraphernalia, and snack wrappers surrounding the soon-to-be-abandoned post. A yank of the sleek red hair and a mess of short, boyish, spiky nest of the same color shone under the peeping moonbeams that strayed from the contour of the clouds that somehow thinned.

Meet Shimizu Kia. Nineteen. Full-time Velvet Noir employee. Certified MALE.

"Of all places, why a bar? Grr. Boss is so stupid. Should I have known, my fake boobies will make that uniform purr-fect."

Ten minutes passed and the rooftop is clean and ultimately clutter-free. Intel gathering surely requires a person to leave no traces of his activities; legal or illegal, or so they say.

Snagging his pack, he flinched at the pain on his back, hissing a bit until the stinging became tolerable. The roll of paper that got Chigusa possessed was tucked gently inside a document tube, slung onto his left shoulder, making him look like a university student or something along those lines.

"Mou… Blood is really hard to remove from cotton… And it will sting like salt in an open wound when I take this off later," Kia groaned, pulling at the hem of his white sleeveless shirt at the back. The sharp jolt of pain was the icing on the cake. Zipping the front of his black and pink jacket, he jumped at the nearby tree across the window of Chigusa's room to get away and leave the proprietor and his part-time employee to finish the job.

"Good work today, Kagura-san," he said, looking at the scene inside the room for a good five seconds. The blonde was wrapping a long wad of bandage around the now topless raven's head, the clients' child reassuring her parents that she's fine, Heji looking thankful, and Mai smiling despite her sniffles and tears.

Kia leaped forward, landing gracefully near a streamlined pink motorcycle. He patted the throttle as if saying "Good job!" before hopping on it. A low hum emanated from its engines and turned a tad louder as he revved it in satisfaction.

"Let's go Aki! There's a full tank for you and a large cup ramen for me once we hit the outskirts. It won't snow; my cute wig will vouch for that. The city lights await!"

A trail of smoke and fading lights marked the end of the workday of this Velvet Noir regular.

* * *

_**Sunday, 24 December 2045. 12:15 am. Chigusa's Bedroom, Nikaido Residence.** _

"All set. Bandages too tight?" Nagase queried as he wrapped a white strip of sterile cloth over his own wound.

Nathan felt a little dizzy but replied anyway. "No. It's snug. Nice," he acknowledged the man's efforts. Getting a little chilly, he got a casual shirt and shimmied into it, careful not to add pressure to his injuries.

Admiring his handiwork, the blond chucked a pair of denim jeans to his best bud and walked to the doorframe.

"Dress pants and a graphic tee look horrible together."

Onyx orbs squinted at the barista's words. "That's something Shimizu-kun would say," he said with a small grin and he paced towards the entrance. He never wanted to pull his pants off inside a girl's room lest he wanted to end up being tagged as a pervert.

"Che," the blonde trailed off, watching the retreating form of his best bud, pondering at formal way the Velvet Noir proprietor addresses his employee.

 _"Shimizu-san is cute. End of story._ "

"Boo."

Chiaki floated lazily beside Nagase which made the latter jump in surprise.

"You idiot! Don't sneak behind people like that!" he gnarled, forcing himself to regain his composure.

"Anou… Kagura-san? What's the matter?"

Right on cue, Chigusa-chan arrived, carrying a tray with two steaming mugs of hot cocoa with marshmallows. "I don't know how to brew tea properly so this is all I can do."

"Ahaha! Nothing! Nada!" he sweatdropped, flailing his arms to hide the presence of the dead boy in vain.

"She can't see me," Chiaki deadpanned, wearing a face that certainly spelled out 'Are you an idiot?'

"Oh, I see," she bought the elder's words. Good thing. "This is for saving me earlier. Thank you." She entered her room and set a mug with her name written on it at the study table and headed out quietly.

"I was looking for Aruzerinusu-san… I thought he might be here as well."

"Downstairs, changing in the bathroom."

"Alright. Enjoy the chocolate."

And with that, she proceeded to the living area to wait for the raven.

Imposing for a longer time than needed, much more inside a girl's room, he decided to finish the little thank-you gift. In a few quick gulps, the hot chocolate made him feel a bit better, not to mention a slightly burned throat.

"Etou… Kagura-san," Chiaki mumbled, drifting inside his sister's room.

"Hmm?"

"I know I might be asking bit too much, but can you fulfill my request?" he pleaded, looking a bit hopeful on the side.

"If you want something, then shoot directly." Nagase was slightly ticked off by the boy's attitude. One time, he's a cocky brat; then he makes a quick 180 and becomes a shy bastard.

"I wish I can say something to Chigusa-chan…"

A faint glow of a red string hit his vision for a second.

Then it fell into its right place.

The string loops around the baseball senior's wrist and extends freely towards the door.

 _"If I put two and two together…"_  Nagase mulled over the idea for a while before nodding to himself.

The barista cocked a grin at the boy in confidence.

"Consider it an after service."

…it will surely be worth the pain, and the blood loss.

* * *

_**Sunday, 24 December 2045. 12:30 pm. Uptown, Kageyama.** _

Touma ran across the asphalt road in a speed below the city limit. Surviving the night was such a chore, and ending up in an accident will make things worse. That is why…

"Oi, Nei-chan! Touma's the shit! How come can you have a sweet ride like this?" he exclaimed, smoking leisurely as he held the steering wheel with his bandaged hand.

"Bakainu. Stop barking at the wrong tree. You're harassing my eardrums," Nathan whined, sinking in the shotgun seat and aiming to get a little nap before they hit downtown.

"Oh, the hell with your puns, Kurotori. I'm starving! Let's crash Hattori. Okonomiyaki and sake will be our salvation! Good stuff!"

The tired raven raised an eyebrow. "Who gave you the license to create nicknames for me? Oh well, Hattori's good. But no sake for you. Touma's not getting a single gash due to some drunk driver."

"Hey. Even just a little?"

"You hog the whole bottle."

"…"

Nathan acknowledged his defeat. "Kidding. Kick the gas before I change my mind."

"…or I'll kick your fucking ass home," the two said in unison. Part-time or full-time personnel, the Boss' quirks rub off on them.

"Boss? How was that possible? Slaving away for some oddball jobs, et cetera… Totally made me believe that you get orders from some higher up."

"Save the questions for later."

The blur of deep plum zoomed, creating a gust of wind that ruffled a redhead's spikes as he munched on cheap onigiri while sitting on the upholstered seat of a bike, the bright lights of the corner store reinforcing the business of the street with all its people outside even in the darkness of the cold night.

* * *

_**Sunday, 24 December 2045. 11:26 pm. Kitchen, Nikaido Residence.** _

"Chigusa-chan!" Mai shouted, gesturing her daughter to do the dishes as she was preparing the ingredients for a hotpot.

The girl giggled at the pumped-up version of her mother but decided to keep it down anyway. "Hai, Okaa-san."

She left the dishes the soak while she started on rinsing the bowls and mugs. "Nee, we should let Onii-chan have nabe as well!"

"Of course. That's a given, young lady," Heji chuckled, trying to get a taste of potato salad until his hand got swatted by his smiling wife.

"No. Out of the kitchen. NOW."

How befitting. But, if the smile definitely means the contrary…

"Ahaha… Alright…" The poor family head opted to slump at the living room and watch some late-night news. The lady Nikaido on the other hand shifted back to her passionate cooking.

"This really never gets old," Chigusa mumbled to herself, washing her mug. To her surprise, the bottom of the porcelain cup has scribbles on it, probably made by some random sharpie marker. Well, more like chicken scratches.

Nevertheless, it's the message that makes it more valuable.

_24-12-2045. I'm always beside you. Merry Christmas. Chiaki-oniichan._

"One of the best Christmas gifts ever."

"Yes Chigusa-chan?" Mai asked as she chopped some leeks. She probably heard the girl saying something.

She held the treasured mug in reminiscence before setting it at the wall hooks near the dish rack, beside another old, slightly stained one bearing the name Chiaki in the same messy, chicken scrawl handwriting. The red string, despite being unseen by the siblings, it faintly glows as it establishes the connection between the young teenage girl and her departed brother protecting her, drifting freely. Always behind her in every step that she takes.

Outside, the lamppost is alit, its globe diffusing the intense light into a warm glow. Snowflakes started to fall, the freezing air all around it. That critter… was nowhere in sight.

A simple creature has its simple needs; a sanctuary like an incandescent bulb lighting the front door of the Nikaido household might just be all it needed for the moment.

The tireless fluttering came to an end.

The thread of life extends.

That lone moth is victorious for one more day in its endless fight for survival.

 

For life.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on "Act 2: left road, turn right" though it will be as long as this chapter. Please bear with me for it will be up in about a week or two. Plot making and research can take time. Thanks!


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